Will a Viper be enough?

S

Stubby Hungwell

New member
Joined
Sep 26, 2006
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6
Location
Pefferlaw On.
Hi all,

My father turned me on to this site quite a while a go and I must say that the info here is top drawer. Now to the question at hand. I currently ride a 97 700 sx with Power Inc. Centre dump pipes, head gasket mod, reed spacers, and appropriate clutching and jetting changes. This sled also has the Maxximum rear suspension upgrade. The sled really hauls the mail. Although speed is nice, this sled has never been a huge top-ender, but it pulls like a train. I am currently looking at an 02 viper with low k's, as the sx has reached 20 000. I am just afraid the the Viper will not have the pull/acceleration that I yearn for. What, if anything, can be done to a Viper (besides pipes) to get it to pull that hard. The noise police a a HUGE issue around here these days so pipes are out of the question. I've been thinking 4-stroke (my father has a RX) but he thinks I'll go nuts trying to make it handle the way I'd like it to. ANY feedback on my dilema would be GREATLY appreciated. The snow will be here before we know it!!!
Thanks a bunch!

Stubby
 

Stubby,
First off, welcome to the site. We are all glad to have you. 2nd off congrats with that many kilo's on your 97 SX 700. That it very amazing and makes me happy to hear that because i own one as well with about 4,500 miles on it.

If I were you and not wanting to get a viper and pipe it, I would go for the almighty SRX.. Sled is very quiet and has arm yanking acceleration and is a big top-end sled. Best years were 00-02 the viper stock was only around 120HP the SRX is around 140
not to mention is gets awesome fuel economy.

You probably have a few more ponies right now on your SX with the pipes on than a stock viper!!
 
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One of the Apex's should be a great option for you. Pick the one that best suits your riding style. I like the RTX for the way it handles the rough stuff. Or you could try to find a low mileage SRX.

Unless you pipe the Viper, you likely won't be satisfied.
 
If your fathers assumtions are correct about you not being able to handle a 4 stroke like you want to than the SRX is for you, the handling is incredible.
 
I would go for an srx also. If you want a little more suspension put a long travel kit in it. I started with a stock viper and now it's 60lbs. lighter and a 900 stroker with nitrous and a lot of cash to get it that way. Never been beat yet. If your going from an sx to an srx you will be impresed especialy if you long travel it.
 
I ride with an 01 SRX and an 03 Viper (I have an SXR with PI's...and lots of other mods). All three of us are very close in acceleration and top end (in real riding conditions). Obviously, when we radar run the SRX is the king but my SXR and the Viper turn about the same speed. I'd say the viper is a good step from a piped SX. Speed and acceleration are going to be very close but the Viper is a much smoother powerplant and is WAY better on fuel/oil. If you don't mind the ride of your SX then the SRX is definetly something to consider. It's fast, great on fuel, handles like it's on rails and has a bullet proof engine. The only issue is the lack of suspension (like your SX did..). I was going to go with a Viper but I found a great deal on an RX so I went 4 stroke (the SRX guy just bought an Apex...and his SRX is forsale!!).
 
i would get the viper and do bethevipers srx pipe mod on it. its where you take the srx pipes and fit them for the viper motor and that way you get more power, not loud either, and you get even better fuel economy, as well as a bullet proof motor to boot. i believe you also need the srx cdi as well to do this. hopefully he or someone else will chime in on how the setup worked.
 
you can get better fuel economy on a srx piped viper than a single pipe stock viper?
or compared to other viper triple pipes
 
Considering yer 97 was the first year after the pogo and those machines rocked outta the gate...I'd be thinking anything newer would definetly be an upgrade..Myself I couldn't pick between the SRX and SXR...the viper was an excellent choice..and so much advice from this site...To me..A viper with the Green 53/43 setup would be a great start for ya...then figure out pipes etc from there..
 
Alright,

Thanks for all of the replys friends. I'm a little leary of an SRX because of the ever increasing traffic on the trails I ride. I just got married this year and am expecting a New Years baby. I won't have time to build anything this winter (long-travel/widened SRX). Dad and I have built many hot yammies over the years, my current red rocket being one of them. I figured a Viper I could just get on and start pounding the bad weekend trails any time I had the chance. As a side note, I think I can get my hands on a set of cheap v-force2 reeds for a Viper. Any gains? What about a similiar head gasket mod like the non pv mills for a little more compression? I don't mind putting in premium fuel. I've been doing it for three seasons with the sx. I am obviously leaning towards the Viper right now, but it is still up in the air. I would just hate to be dissapointed, and would be even more pissed if my old man's rx1 ton smoked me in a short drag, 'cause I pull him for quite a ways with the rocket now, and it is a GOOD running rx. I love to fiddle (cheap for this year) so don't be shy about little tricks for little power gains. It all adds up in the end. Oh, and please keep the opinions about my looming decision coming, I love the feedback.

Stubby.
 
i would go with the srx. and worry about to rx while you're waiting at the other end of the lake for him. if you're trails are decent get an srx for pull you're arms out of the socket acceleration. i think its time get the big dog and kick the others off the porch. a stock srx is a contender with any sled on the trails today. and smokes 95% percent of the others.
:2strokes:
 
yamyrider,
i thought you can do the head gasket mod on the vipers as well. Im pretty sure a friend of mine mentioned he did that to his.
 
either way your going to have to do some tinkering if your getting them stock. you may get luck and find a used one with low miles with the tinkering done. for example, either way you go you will need to work on the suspension. you need a pretty good spine while on the srx when on high traffic trails, with the viper just a hair better. if the srx has ohlins, you only need to worry about the rear. the viper needs to be adjusted all around. not necessarily a whole aftermarket set up. just send the shocks in to someone like pioneer or b-line and they will fix them up and the just slap them back in. power wise, the srx wins hands down. reeds on either of them won't do any good for you. reeds don't start to shine till you heavily port or bore out the jugs. if i were you i would look for a long traveled srx or a stock viper with revalved shocks all around. i've seen quite a few go through the classifieds so they are out there.
 
Throw a 1 1/4" track on the Viper and clutch it. It will hook up great off the line and accelerate fairly hard. The stock shocks are valved pretty stiff...good in the big bumps if you ride it hard...bad in the stutter bumps and if you ride it like a pansy.

Tom
 
Mr. Viper perhaps?

Here goes,

I'm pretty sure I've decided on the Viper. Now I just need to know how to make it as strong as possible with the single pipe and stock bore/stroke. I'm quite sure that with the proper amount of tweaking and little bits I'll be able to get it to pull like I want it to. Like I said before, the stock "speed" should be fine, it's the "quikest" setup I will be after. I could have sworn I had read about someone doing the headgasket mod to a Viper on this forum not too long ago. I also know that the v-force reeds don't give much on the to, 1 or 2 horses, it's the mid-range power gain (5-6?) that I am most interested in. I have not heard any mention of a stock silencer mod for these sleds either, so I guess that is out. I really need to know as much about these sleds as I can read. I'm a bit of an information junky when it comes to the sled I ride and what makes it hum compared to the average stocker. Please keep the replies coming in.

Stubby
 
if you are goin to put reeds in it get carbon tech reeds for it they are mutch better then the V-force junk i have had no luck with them at all they all was chip and then you have to get new one with the carbon tech reed all you have to do is just put them in and your off to the races
 
with the stock viper exhaust, not much worth doing besides clutching and maybe a regear. the Vipers come ported more agressivly than the SRX. there is a aftermarket single pipe thats supose to be good for a few hp and save some weight. I don't know if it works with the stock can, but I think so.
 
get a the viper, clutch it, add CB Perf light weight front end, revalve the shocks and smile. You will love it. Maxdlx
 
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